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Greece

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Background: Greece achieved independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1829. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and territories, most with Greek-speaking populations. In World War II, Greece was first invaded by Italy (1940) and subsequently occupied by Germany (1941-44); fighting endured in a protracted civil war between supporters of the king and other anti-Communists and Communist rebels. Following the latter's defeat in 1949, Greece joined NATO in 1952. In 1967, a group of military officers seized power, establishing a military dictatorship that suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country. In 1974, democratic elections and a referendum created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy. In 1981, Greece joined the EC (now the EU); it became the 12th member of the European Economic and Monetary Union in 2001. In 2010, the prospect of a Greek default on its euro-denominated debt created severe strains within the EMU and raised the question of whether a member country might voluntarily leave the common currency or be removed.Location: Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and TurkeyArea land: 130,647 sq kmArea water: 1,310 sq kmCoastline: 13,676 kmCountry name conventional long form: Hellenic RepublicCountry name conventional short form: GreeceCountry name former: Kingdom of GreecePopulation: 10,760,136 (July 2011 est.)Age structure: 0-14 years: 14.2% (male 787,143/female 741,356); 15-64 years: 66.2% (male 3,555,447/female 3,567,383); 65 years and over: 19.6% (male 923,177/female 1,185,630) (2011 est.);Population growth rate: 0.083% (2011 est.)Birth rate: 9.21 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)Death rate: 10.7 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)Net migration rate: 2.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)Sex ratio: at birth: 1.064 male(s)/female; under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female; 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female; 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female; total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2011 est.);Infant mortality rate: total: 5 deaths/1,000 live births; male: 5.49 deaths/1,000 live births; female: 4.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.);Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.92 years; male: 77.36 years; female: 82.65 years (2011 est.);Total fertility rate: 1.38 children born/woman (2011 est.);HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2009 est.);HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 8,800 (2009 est.);HIV/AIDS - deaths: fewer than 500 (2009 est.);Nationality: noun: Greek(s); adjective: Greek;Ethnic groups: population: Greek 93%, other (foreign citizens) 7% (2001 census);

note: percents represent citizenship, since Greece does not collect data on ethnicity

Greece in the News

The UN High Commission for Refugees estimates that nearly 50,000 migrants are in Greece, awaiting asylum interviews in which they will make their cases for staying in Europe. While many migrants remain without jobs, some have found work in camps, or have even started their own businesses.